Are Surf Industry Workers Underpaid? New Study Investigates

Eather is well-versed in the industry. His first introduction to it was as a sponsored and talented teen competing on the Australian pro junior and QS circuit. After giving up on the professional surfer's dream, he has worked in branding, marketing, and product strategy for Bellroy, Reef, Quiksilver, Nixon, Rip Curl, Surfline, Patagonia, DHD, and Havaianas. He also launched Empire Ave, a content platform for the surf/beach and lifestyle sector, before recently founding his new venture.

For NeverWork, he conducted an anonymous survey to get a better understanding of what it’s really like to work (and want to work) in the boardsports world. While the salary issue is revealing, the first stack of data has revealed other aspects of the industry.

“Initial data showed that 86% of the workers wanted better work-life balance, 76% wanted more flexible hours, and 78% say passion for boardsports keeps them in the game,” said Eather.

He also said that almost 3/4 of the correspondents are or want to be “lifers” or workers who want to stay in action sports for all their working life. “That’s positive that the industry is getting people that are still really passionate about what we do and believe in the industry around surfing, or board sports in general,” concluded Eather.

However, it also begs the question that is whether the passion and loyalty actually count against them, rather than being rewarded, in terms of salary. 70% of the Australian respondents said they were earning less than $A120K per year, which is just above average for the nation. And while that sounds like a hefty figure, managing on that salary in a city like Sydney (median house price $1.7million), especially with a family, is extremely difficult.

Another question asked what factors mattered when choosing a new role in the industry. Early indicators saw 26% opted for a higher salary, 33% better work-life balance, 25% more career growth.

“The interesting thing there for me was a stronger company culture and great mentorship or a learning environment tracked really low with single-digit responses,” said Eather.

He says that it is representative that the industry has a more fixed mindset versus a growth mindset, which might be a factor in the limited income growth. There's a lack of mentoring programs, and workers tend to sail along in their current roles without challenging the next steps or mentoring the next generation.

It is this type of widespread industry finding that the survey hopes to mine from actual action sports employees and employers.

“Whether you’re deep in the industry or just starting out, your voice matters,” said Linc. “This quiz is about understanding what it’s really like to work, and want to work, in the boardsports world. The end game is to make it easier for people to get a foot in the door, or for existing workers can increase their salary,  work-life balance, and career opportunities.”